Asian American studies has long been dominated by California and major Asiatowns such as San Francisco or New York. But in the past few years, there has been an explosion in interest and new research on Asian Americans in the American South. This panel features three projects that challenge our most basic understanding of immigration and race in the United States. James Sun of the University of California at Berkeley will present his research on Japanese rice farmers in Louisiana from the late nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century. Using archival sources, his research demonstrates how Japanese Americans migrated from Hawaii and California, adapted to local environmental and social conditions, and for decades navigated the economic and legal landscape of Jim Crow Louisiana. Winston Ho of the Historic New Orleans Collection will present an article on the erasure of Asian American identity in New Orleans in government records. From the incorrect recording of Chinese surnames, to the misrepresentation of Filipino and South Asian ethnicity in census records, to the conflicting places of birth that appear in immigration and other official records, this paper will demonstrate the unreliability of records often considered authoritative. Allison Truitt of Tulane University will present a book chapter on how Vietnamese Americans have lobbied the Louisiana State legislature to recognize the flag of South Vietnam as the only national flag of Vietnam at state-sponsored institutions and events. While her work demonstrates the successful mobilization of local Vietnamese as part of a nationwide political movement, she also raises larger questions about collective memory, diasporic identity, and political representation within the Vietnamese American community. Wendy Gaudin of Xavier University will serve as commentator.